Invalid-bedstead



Patented Sept. 27, 1881.

ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERS. Fhouiilllngmphur. Wash llglmm D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC ASAHEL J. GOODWIN, 0F BROOKLINE,MASSACHUSETTS.

INVA LI D-BEDSTEAD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Fatent No. 247,496, datedSeptember 27, 1881.

Application filed December 18, 1880. (ModeL) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AsAHEL JQGOODWIN, of Brookline, in the county ofNorfolkand State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Invalid-Bedsteads,

ofwhich the following is a specification.

My improvements relate to the class of in- .valid-bedsteads havingsectional bottoms fit ted-for adjustment to vary the angle of thesections to suit the comfort of the patient and the necessities of thecase.

The object of my invention is to permit a larger range and variety ofadjustment than has heretofore been possible, and also to obtain durableconstruction, combined with convenience of manipulation. Iuse a bottomconsisting of three separate sections-via, a central section, fitted forvertical adjustment, and- 'end sections fitted for being swung to vary'ment and convenience of manipulation, as

their inclination. One end section is made in two portions, hingedtogether and fitted for adjustment to suit special cases. In connectionwith the bedstead I use a stretcher.

My invention consists in certain novel features of construction andarrangement of the mechanism for obtaining variety of ad usttail sectionon liney y of Fig. 1. Figs. 6 and- 7 are respectively a side view andsection of the pivot-socket. tion of the joints of the bottom.

Similar letters of'reference indicate corresponding parts. I

a is the head-board, b the foot-board, and 0 'c the side rails, of thebedstead. The bottom is made in'three separate sections or portions,

A being the section at the head, B the foot-. section, and O a smallersection placed at the mid-length of the bed,between the sections A B.The frames of these sections are formed :of tubing a,.joined by beingplugged,with 5.

steel pins inserted in the plugs to form a smooth joint, (see Fig. 8,)and to the frames bed-bottom is horizontal.

Fig. 8 shows the construe,

the springs b are attached. The section A is hung at its inner end byarms 01, attached to the section, that are formed with pins or lugsentering socket-plates 0, attached to the rails 0. These socket-plates eand all others used at the pivots in the bedstead are of peculiarconstruction, to facilitate manufacture and allow removal of thesections readily. The construction is shownclearly in Figs. 6 and 7.

in the rail, so as to sustain the weight and relieve the screws by whichthe plate is attached to the rail. The slot allows the pivot to come outwhen the section of the bottom is lifted bodily.

Beneath the section A is a shaft, f, having bearings in side rails c,and carrying cams f f, upon which the section rests bylugs 0 providedwith friction-rollers, so that by turning shaft f with a key applied toits squared end projecting through one rail, 0, the section is raisedand lowered. The cams f have lugs f, on which the rollers on lugs e restwhen the One cam is formed at its side with aratchet, g, engaged by apawl, g, hung on the rail, by which the sectionis sustained as raised,and for convenience a handlever, h, is hung on the rail and carries arod, h, engaging with pawl g, whereby the pawl can be disengaged whenthe section is to be lowered. The cams are made long, to give therequired extent of movement, and as it is desirable to have these partscontained within the width of rail 0 when the bedstead is packed fortransportation, I make the outer end portions, W, of the cams separateand attached by a pivot, so that such ends can be raised above thebottom of the rail when the cams are down. The object of the swingingend h of the cam f is' to allowit to be folded for transportation. Thesepivoted ends rest, in use, on suitable pins or lugs on the main portion.

The shaft f carries a fixed hub or collar,@',

and there is also hung looselyon the shaft an hub i. From arm t" a rod,1', extends to the operating-lever of the lower section, B, so that thesections shall move together, as hereinafter specified, and thescrew-connection permits disconnection from 1" when independent movementis desired.

The middle section, 0, is sustained by rackbars k at its ends, which fitinto slideways formed in plates k, attached to side rails, c, and whichracks engage with pinionsl carried by a cross-shaft, 1, carried by therails and fitted for being turned byakey. A pawl, engages the pinion forretaining the parts in position. To remove the section Cfrom thebedstead the setscrews ofpinions Z will be loosened and thepinionsslipped on the shaft outof en gagement with the racks, which will leavethe section free to be raised.

In Letters Patent heretofore granted to me a middle section is shown asfitted for movement vertically by a toggle. The rack and pinion, withthe pawl, constitute improved devices for the purpose.

The lower section, B, is made in two parts. The smaller portion, B, ishung on rails c by pivots, and carries the larger portion, B, so as topermit independent movement when required. m mare the pivots, sustainedin socketplates m. These pivots are fixed on the end of arms or plates mof the section B, to which arms m of the section B are pivoted. Thereare projections l on plates W, with which the arms at engage, when thetwo sections are in line, to prevent the portion B rising above suchposition. On one plate on is pivoted a toothed arm, a, extendingdownward for engagement with a projection, a, from socket-plate m,whereby the section B is sustained as raised, and a hand-lever, n hungon the rail resting against arm n, is for use in disengaging said arm topermit descent of the section. This portion of the bed bottom is thusdoublejointed. The pivots m and pivots of arms m forming the two joints,are positioned to correspond with the knee and hip joints, thus allowingelevation of the patients knees, while the lower limbs can remainhorizontal. The operating-shaft 0 of the lower section is hung on railsc and arranged for being moved by a keyapplied atone end. On this shaftare fixed arms 0 0, having pins or projections at their outer ends,which are engaged by ratched links 12, hung on section B. One arm 0carries a notched segment, 1), engaged by a pawl, p hung on the rail,whereby the section is retained as raised, and a hand-lever, q, isprovided for raising the pawl to permit lowering of the section.

On the inner end of one arm 0 is pivoted a short arm, q, to which therod 7. from the operating-shaft of section A is connected. The two arms0 q thus form a jointed lever, by which the sections B B are movedsimultaneously with section A, and at the same time allowing a certainamount of independent movement. The object of this is to save the ne-The operation, in connection with the double joint of the lowersection,is as follows: The section A is lowered by turning shaftf, andas soon as it sinks below the horizontal position the arm q comes incontact with arm 0', and the two sections B B are swung upward on thepivots on until the desired inclination is given to the section B. Theratchet-arm a retains the section B, and the pawl 12 being released fromthe segment 1), the section B can be lowered as far as required. Thisposition may also be obtained by operation of shaft 0, and the uppersection, A, afterward raised without affecting the position of the lowersection.

Thestretcher D (shown in Figs. 3 and 4) is for use in cases where noflexure of the hipjoint can be had. Upon the foot-board. of the bedsteadis fixed a screw-socket, r, receiving a screw-post, r, on which across-bar, s, is held by a plate, 8, having eyes, through which post 1'passes, so that the plate 8 and bar 8 can slide freely on the post, theupward movement being limited by a nut, 1 The lower side of bar 8 isfitted with hooks s engaging with eyes 9 5 is weighted at its end nextthe head of the bed, to cause that end to remain lowest, and thestretcher inclined more or less, according to adjustment of nut 4. Byraising the middleseetion the stretcher can be raised as far asrequired.

To permit side inclination of the stretcher, the crossbar s is hung onplate 8 by a pivot at a, so as to swing, and a slide, a, on bar 8, heldby a set-screw, a retains the bar 8 horizontally by engagement with anotch in the bar, except when raised as shown in Fig. 4, when the bar isfree to swing. The nut t of post t at the side of the stretcher that isto be lowered will first be turned aside, or else the post removed andthe middle section 0 then raised, thereby elevating one side of thestretcher.

The construction described gives great facility and convenience in themanipulation of invalid-bedsteads. The work can be done.,by the operatorat the side of the bed, with but little change of position and withoutthe necessity of leaving the patient. Every necessary position isprovided for, and with but few exceptions they may be obtained withoutdisconnection of the parts. The necessity of using a stretcher is almostentirely avoided. With the improved bottom there is but a singlecircumstance which would make it advisable to use the stretcher-=that isin case of injury or disease of the hip. But the stretcher is useful ofitself, and with other bedsteads would be especiallyuseful.

Havingthus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. 1n invalid -bedsteads having a bottom formed bypivoted sections, the slotted socketplates e, formed with hub e andflange 01, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination, in an invalid-bedstead with a hinged section havinglugs 6 of a cam, f, having the projection k as and for the purposespecified.

3. The operatin g-cam f of the section A, provided with the swinging endh substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. In invalid-bedsteads,the socket-plate m, provided with projectionn,ratchet-arm n, shaft 0, arms 0,ratchet-segment p, and links p,combined together and with the double-jointed section-B B of the bottom,substantially as shown and described, for operation as set forth.

. 7 The eye-plate s, slide a, pivoted cross-bar s, and sustaining-postsr t, combined with the bed-frame stretcher and vertically-adjustablesection G of the bottom, substantially as and for the purposesset forth.

ASAHEL J. GOODWIN.

Witnesses:

GEO. D. WALKER, G. SEDGWICK.

